Transmission mechanism for motor vehicles



April 14, 1936. BEHRENS 2,037,305

TRANSMISSION MECHANISM FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed April 12, 1952 PatentedApr. 14, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TRANSMISSION MECHANISM FORMOTOR VEHICLES Application April 12, 1932, Serial No. 604,768 In GermanyApril 1'7, 1931 1 Claim.

This invention relates to a device for motor vehicles operating duringthe steering in which the drive between the engine shaft and the tworear wheels can be engaged and disengaged by a cone clutchfor eachwheel. 1

Devices for the same purpose are known, but these are open to theobjection that they do not guarantee reliable operation as there is adanger of the coupling .cones slipping when a rigid connection betweenthe engine shaft and the two rear wheels has to be established. Theinvention relates to a device of the type described, by means of whichthe above mentioned objection is overcome in a simple manner in thatlocking claws 5 capable of engaging in notches in the driving coneextend through the driven cone.

This combination of the two known clutches presents the advantage. that,when steering the vehicle, a reliable and gentle engagement and dis- 2oengagement of the rear wheels is ensured and an unintentional slippingof the driving clutch cone is prevented in that, when engaging a rearwheel, first the counter cone is pressed gently against the clutch conedriven by the engine and then the locking claws can engage in thenotches of the driving clutch cone, whereas during the disengagement ofa rear wheel first the locking claws are lifted out of the notches ofthe driving clutch cone and then the counter cone is disengaged.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example in theaccompanying drawing in Which:-

Fig. 1 shows a longitudinal section of the device. Fig. 2 shows a detailpartly in section.

' A shaft 20 driven by the engine acts through the intermediary of abevel wheel 2| on a bevel wheel I rigidly connected to a double clutchcone 2. Each clutch cone 2 cooperates with a counter cone 33 and has onthe end face of its circumference notches 3 in which locking claws 4 canengage. The driven counter cone 33 is arranged between the clutch cone 2and the locking claws 4 fixed on a slide ring 5. To enable the claws 4to engage in the notches 3 of the driving clutch cone 2, the drivenclutch cone 33 has on its circumference recesses 34 in which the lockingclaws 4 can shift. The slide ring 5 is rigidly connected with thelocking claws and engages in a groove 6 in a sleeve 1 rotatably mountedon the hub I2 of the cone 33, so that the ring 5 is shiftable with thissleeve in the direction of the arrow oz. The sleeve 1, the locking claws4 and the slide ring 5 are pressed by springs 8 and the counter cone 33is pressed by spring 9 against the clutch cone 2.

The spring 9 bears against a collar ID on an axle sleeve 43 and againsta collar l I screwed on to the hub l2 on the counter cone 33. The hub l2of the counter cone 33 is connectedto the sleeve 43 by keys 50, and itis shiftable in axial direction on the sleeve 43 and rotatable togetherwith this v,5" sleeve. The bevel wheel I is rotatable together with thedouble clutch cone 2 on the sleeves 43. The device is mounted'by meansof ball bearings l3 in a casing l4. of the rear axle bridge. The rearrunning wheels are fixed by means of stub 10 axles in axle holes 42, onein each of the sleeves 43 held together by a loosely rotatable bolt l5.The sleeves 43 serve as carrier for the double clutch cone 2. The devicecan easily be dismantled by unscrewing the bolt I5, whereas the 5 boltl5 facilitates the fitting together of the device. On the free end ofthe sleeve 1 bolts l6 with steep screw threads are fixed. The steepscrew thread is surrounded by eyes I8 of levers I'l provided with acorresponding counter screw thread, 20 said levers acting upon a rodsystem 22 shiftable during the steering of the vehicle.

If therefore the two levers l'l shown on the right side of Fig. 1 areswung in one direction by the rod system 22, the two eyes 18 swingtherewith. Thus, 25 the two rods l 6 situated on the right side of Fig.1 and consequently also the sleeve 1 with its flange 1a are moved in thedirection of the arrow 5 by means of the steep pitched screw thread.

Owing to the shifting of the sleeve I with which 30 the slide ring 5 andthe locking claws 4 rigidly connected therewith move, the locking claws4 of the slide ring 5 are moved out of the notches of the clutch cone 2.After these movements have taken place, the flange la of the sleeve 1bears against a ball bearing Ha which is rigidly connected with thecollar ll of the counter cone 33.

The ball hearing I la serves for reducing the friction between thecollar II and the flange 1. If the two levers I1 shown on the right sideof Fig. 40 1 are now swung in the same direction, the sleeve 1 with itsflange la moves on farther in the direction of the arrow 5. Consequentlythe flange shifts the hub l2 and therewith the clutch cone 33 is shiftedin the direction of the arrow 12 against 45 the action of the spring 9,with the result that the clutch cone 33 is disengaged from the clutchcone 2. Consequently the cone 2 can move absolutely independently of itscounter cone 33 and the locking claws 4 of the slide ring 5 so that, forexample, 50 the rear wheel connected with the axle 42 is entirelydisconnected from the drive and rotates idly. This position of the partsof the clutch is illustrated on a larger scale in Fig. 2 and on the leftside of Fig. 1. 55

If the levers shown on the right of Fig. 1 are swung back into theirinitial position by the rod system 22, all the elements return into theposition shown on the right of Fig. 1, that is, the rods l6 are shiftedin the direction of the arrow on by the steep pitched screw thread. Theflange la of the sleeve 1 consequently liberates the ball bearing Ila sothat the hub I2 and the counter cone 33 are moved in the direction ofthe arrow by the forces previously accumulated in the spring 9, untilthe counter cone 33 bears gently against the clutch cone 2. During thecontinued movement of the sleeve 1 in the direction of the arrow attogether with the slide ring 5 and locking claws 4, the locking claws 4engage the claws of the clutch claw 2. The movement of the rods IS, thesleeve 1 and the slide ring '5 with the locking claws 4 is assisted bythe action of the springs 8 mounted on the rods IS, with the result thatthe counter cone 33 and the clutch cone 2 interengage before the lockingclaws 4 of the slide ring 5 can enter the notches 3 of the clutch cone2. The result is that a gentle engagement and disengagement of the rearwheels with and from the drive is ensured. During this procedure theother rear wheel remains connected with the left clutch cone 2 and isconsequently driven.

The procedures above described also apply for the left side of thetransmission mechanism illustrated in Fig. 1 in that the two leversillustrated on the left of Fig. 1 are controlled by the rod system 22a.The levers l1, both on the left and also on the right side of thetransmission mechanism, are oscillated by a thrust rod eifecting thesteering of the front wheels of a motor vehicle.

I claim:-

A transmission mechanism for motor vehicles steered by driving in whichthe driving mechanism between the engine shaft and each of the two rearwheels is engageable and disengageable by means of a claw clutch,comprising in combination for each hub axle a sleeve, a driving conemounted on said sleeve and having on its end face circumferentialnotches, a driven counter cone splined 15 on said sleeve and adapted tocooperate with said driving cone, said counter cone having recesses onits circumference, a second sleeve slidable on said counter cone andhaving an annular groove, a ring engaging in said groove and movablewith said second sleeve, claws rigidly mounted on said ring andextending into said recesses, means for shifting said second sleeve tobring'said claws into engagement with said notches, and a bolt looselyextending through the first mentioned sleeve for each stub axle adaptedto hold together the two halves of the mechanism to facilitatetheassembling and dismantling of the mechanism.

HEINRICH BEHRENS.

